


Parenthood (AKA the Pregnancy)

by Seattlegirl425



Category: Law & Order
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-13 04:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 13,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10505961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seattlegirl425/pseuds/Seattlegirl425
Summary: When she heard she was pregnant just a day before her wedding she felt surprised but she knew her and Mike were ready for the challenge.





	1. 6 weeks pregnant

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set 5 weeks after the wedding and 3 weeks after the honeymoon. In my fan fiction "The Wedding of Mike and Connie" Mike and Connie find out that Connie is pregnant. In this chapter Mike and Connie talk about the pregnancy and the appointments come into this chapter. Enjoy :-)

It was 5 weeks after the wedding, and 3 weeks after the honeymoon. I was 6 weeks pregnant. Mike and I were excited to start our family. My ultrasound appointment and doctors appointment is tomorrow. We talked about the future of how many kids we would have. We decided we would have two more. We weren't going to have like 20 kids, we were excited for the future.

It was a long day after work. I put on some pajama pants and a mets t-shirt. Mike came home an hour after I came home. Bella our dog has been laying her head on my stomach knowing that I'm pregnant. I watched some TV when Mike came home. He looked at me with Bella on my lap and said

"Hey Counselor"  
"How was work today?"  
"It was good, that court case lasted me two hours"  
"My case lasted me like 3 hours today so we're kind of even"  
"Well it's going to be difficult when you're like in your third trimester and being in court"  
"I agree with you, that's why I'm glad Bella will look after me during maternity leave"  
"She's such a good dog, making sure her mom is okay. The kids will love her when they're grown"  
"That's true. That's why I wanted a dog. So we could have a furry family member and Bella would grow up with the kids"

Mike made dinner, Ever since he found out I was pregnant he's been making me these healthy food dishes. We talked a lot about what would we name our kids. If our first child was a girl her name would Jacqueline Marie Cutter and if it was a boy Michael "Mikey" Anthony Cutter. We were happy that's why we were excited for the doctor's appointment.

Both of us took the day off the next day. We walked Bella around the park until the ultrasound appointment. We then took a cab to the doctor's office. We waited for 10 minutes because Mike likes coming to appointments early.

The nurse got us into the room. I laid on the table and the jelly like lotion felt cold on my belly. Thing is I have to have lotion on my belly for the next 7 in a half months. The ultrasound picture looked like a jelly bean was inside of me or a fish. We got pictures and couldn't stop looking at the pictures. Next came the doctors appointment where the doctor made sure all was well with our jelly bean sized baby. Everything was fine with our jelly bean sized baby.

We then got told we get to find out when we were going to find out if it was a boy or a girl around 18 weeks or so we would find what we were having.

We felt excited about the next chapter of starting our family and maybe moving out of our apartment into a big house with a white picket fence and a big backyard where we had big backyard and we had summertime bbq's. We were excited for the future. We had this all planned. It was exciting but we were nervous. How do we raise a kid? We asked that question a lot. We signed up for parenting classes and birthing classes. We were ready and yet prepared.


	2. 12 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our baby was finally grown it wasn't a jelly bean it looked like it gained 2 pounds. We were happy to call this child our child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is 6 weeks after the 6 week check up. Mike and Connie finally see their baby who doesn't look like a tiny jelly bean. This also has some humor and romance from our two favorite law and order characters.

I've been pregnant for almost 2 months and it feels really surreal. I've been getting hormones and sometimes I get really emotional. I'm glad that my husband can deal with the crazy hormones and literally crying a lot. Being pregnant is amazing but I'm totally not up for gaining weight and having to buy clothes.

Every night was literally the same, go home, change into pajama pants and the mets shirt Mike gave me, sit on the couch reading my notes from a trial, turn on the tv, have Bella sit next to me and then wait for Mike to come home. If he's at the office later it's usually me cooking food and doing the exact same thing day after day. Life was changing in a good way. Mike and I didn't go to bars after a trial due to me being pregnant and we were soon going to have a baby in 7 months, things were getting real.

Mike was in the office late. I called to remind him about my doctors appointment

"Hey Babe"  
"Hey Babe, how's my girl doing?"  
"Exhausted, when are you coming home?"  
"Possibly midnight, I have to go over this trial again and again with the person I'm defending who is innocent. How's Bella doing?"  
"She's doing good, she had dinner. Don't worry I cooked for myself"  
"Please tell me it's one of those healthy meals"  
"Yes it was but I would have to eat more because of cravings. Doctors appointment is tomorrow."  
"I'll be home soon, don't worry I wouldn't miss it for the world"  
"Okay I should let you get back to work, love you"  
"Love you too"

Somedays Mike would work late nights. I was okay with it but I always felt lonely in the house with Bella and the TV. I would get tired throughout the day. After dinner and watching TV, I would watch a little bit more TV and then go to sleep.

After watching TV I was so tired that I went to bed. I heard Mike coming in to our apartment. Bella would wake up and greet Mike who just came home I would hear almost always when Mike came home  
"Bella, are you a good girl? Did you take really good care of mommy?"  
Bella would always say yes by rubbing near Mike's leg. Mike then changed into his pajamas and he would come to bed. He would come into the room and say  
"Bella greeted me at the door as she always does."  
"She does that to me too. Doctor's and ultrasound appointment is tomorrow."  
"I'm excited. Is it too late to say I hope it's a girl?"  
"No it's not, I want a girl too."  
"Then I would have to ask everyday how my 3 girls are doing."  
I giggled knowing Mike would have to ask that everyday. I was ready to go back to sleep because I didn't want to be tired for the doctor's appointment or the ultrasound appointment. I then went to sleep and Mike kissed me on the cheek and said  
"Goodnight, love you"  
"I love you too, I'll see you in the morning" I said really sleepily

I woke up in the morning and we went out for breakfast. Our ultrasound appointment was in an hour. Mike and I were excited to see the ultrasound and we were more excited to hear the heartbeat at the doctors appointment.

The ultrasound appointment lasted about 30 minutes. We looked at our not so jelly bean sized baby and yet we were happy. Also knowing we would be parents in just 38 weeks. We looked at the pictures before our doctors appointment. We decided to put the ultrasound pictures on the fridge every few weeks, which made it feel so real.

We then went to my doctors appointment. We found out everything was fine with our baby. We then got to hear the heartbeat. It took not that long to hear the heartbeat. I was really excited. Mike was really happy. He said  
"That's the heartbeat. I'm so happy" he kissed my forehead while holding my hand and I knew this was real. I knew at this moment I was going to have a great life with my husband and our family. We were so happy and yet ready. What could possibly make me so happy? Well being married to Mike and having his child and sharing a dog with him. That's what made me happy.


	3. 18 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The due date was set and Mike and I were getting excited about the future. I don't know how excited we would get about this certain event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Connie is 18 weeks along. The gender is also revealed in this chapter. Oh and there is a gender reveal party. Enjoy :-)

Days went by. Mike and I were writing down names for the baby. Mike joked around saying he wanted to name our child if it was a boy Michael but call him Mikey. I would laugh it off a lot but we knew that we would name our son Mikey. It was days and days ahead until the ultrasound appointment.

Mike and I debated about if we were going to find out at the ultrasound appointment or if we were going to have a gender reveal party. We finally decided on the gender reveal party. Yesterday we found out the due date was February 13. We were more and more excited about the birth of our child.

The next few days were a blur. I had a 3 day long trial. My feet were getting sore but amazingly enough my amazing husband would rub my feet. The next day was the ultrasound appointment. We took Jack to the ultrasound appointment. Yes Jack McCoy. We told him the steps go to the nearest bakery look at the picture to tell the baby's gender if it was a boy or a girl then order chocolate cupcakes with white frosting on the top and then put pink or blue frosting in the cupcake.

"Well baby looks great, so you don't want to know the gender right?" said the ultrasound tech  
"Nope, we are having a gender reveal party. My coworker is the one who will know the gender not me or my wife" said Mike

After the ultrasound ended there was an envelope with a picture in it. I gave the envelope to Jack. Mike and I walked away from Jack after we told him we would see him next week for the gender reveal party.

The week flew by fast. The gender reveal party was today. The cupcakes were delivered to our venue. We came to the venue. We had our friends and family at the gender reveal party including Jack, Cyrus, Kevin. Everyone was going to find out what we were having. Which was nice because we had a great support system.

So Jack announced us to the front of the room. We announced the final names for the baby if it's a girl its Jacqueline Marie Cutter and if it's a boy Michael "Mikey" Anthony Cutter Jr. We each got two cupcakes, I got one and Mike got another we did the whole bride and groom thing and we ate our cupcakes. Then pink frosting came out of the cupcakes. We were having a girl. It was totally official. Jack gave us the pictures. It was finally official the ultrasound picture showed we were having a girl. We were naming her Jacqueline .

"So I'm just wondering" says Jack "Is Jaqueline the female version of Jack?"  
"Yeah we figured of naming her after you and calling her Jackie."  
"Thanks you guys for doing that. I actually like the name Jaqueline."

We were finally happy. We were having a girl. We joked around saying that Bella would like having a little sister. We had decided when the baby shower was going to be when I was 35 weeks a long. We talked about Mike's dad and he called him and asked him to go get lunch where we would meet him. We were to meet him next week. I was nervous but excited to meet my husband's dad but I needed to meet my husband's dad and know that my husband and his dad were moving on for a relationship in the future.


	4. 22 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally was getting a bit bigger due to the pregnancy. I was buying clothes that were a bit bigger. I got morning sickness basically every morning or afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Connie is about 22 weeks along. This brings the morning sickness and the bigger clothes.

It was a Saturday morning. I must've gained 20 pounds from being 12 weeks pregnant. It felt more and more real from finding out I was pregnant to when me and Mike found out we were having a girl. 

This morning I felt really sick that morning I ran into the bathroom to the toilet and threw up. Mike heard me. and ran into the bathroom. He rubbed my back and after I stopped throwing up he said "in sickness and in health, that's why I ran into the bathroom even if it's morning sickness." I said "Absolutely, it's actually Jackie making me sick but I'm carrying her." Mike and I laughed about it. Monday was my ultrasound appointment, Mike was going to miss the ultrasound appointment due to work, he planned on coming to my doctor's appointment. My trial finished on Friday, so I managed to schedule an ultrasound appointment after work that day.

It was Monday after work. I asked my brother to come with me to my doctor's appointment. My doctor joked around by saying  
"Where's Mike?"  
"He's at work, this is my brother, he was next in line. Mike will come to the next doctor's appointment which is 2 weeks away."

The doctor's appointment was fine and Jacqueline was the size of a spaghetti squash which I found really funny in a way. Comparing Jackie to a spaghetti squash would make my days when I would have morning sickness. I would usually tell Mike that Jackie was a spaghetti squash.

Mike came home from a long day at work. He always knew that our dog Bella was laying on my lap. He came over to me and kissed my forehead and said  
"Hey counselor"  
"Hey counselor, does it look like I gained weight?"  
"Yeah it does. how was the doctor's appointment? I'm sorry I missed the doctor's appointment, I'm coming to the ultrasound appointment tomorrow."  
"It was good, Jackie is fine. The doctor says nothing is wrong with Jackie."  
"That's great. I'm excited to see my little princess tomorrow"  
"I know you are. Want to go clothing shopping tomorrow?"  
"Really clothing shopping? Sure"  
"Well I need to get bigger clothes since I'll be gaining a little bit more weight."

Mike agreed to clothing shopping. He knew I was the boss at home so I usually got my way.

The next morning I got morning sickness as usual. Every time I got morning sickness Mike would rub my back because I would make him or he would just come in to the bathroom because of our vows being "in sickness and in health." We got breakfast an hour before my ultrasound appointment and I threw up again after breakfast because Jackie didn't like what I ate for breakfast, maybe that's why I threw up two times in one day...maybe. We went to the ultrasound appointment and we got to look at Jackie. Got to see if there was anything wrong with her, there wasn't anything wrong with her. We got told it was a girl again by the ultrasound tech.

We then went shopping for clothes. Mike hated shopping but I made him go. Basically I got a lot of clothes for the next few weeks of my pregnancy. We got home and then we had dinner. I got morning sickness again and then I told Mike this  
"The next doctor's appointment I'm going to ask about the morning sickness"  
"Connie it's just morning sickness, if you want to talk about it with your doctor she'll say it's fine."  
"Mike, I threw up like 3 times today. I need to talk to my doctor about this"  
He moved towards me and said it was going to be okay, he then kissed me, we played on the couch watching TV and I knew it was going to be okay. Mike said everything was going to be okay-I agreed with him. We were going to be okay.


	5. 24 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyday while being pregnant, I felt achiness. The baby got bigger and I started to feel uncomfortable. Everything seemed real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Connie is 24 weeks along. The doctor's appointment and ultrasound appointment is talked about and buying a big surprise is also talked about. Connie talks about how she feels about being pregnant.

My feet were almost always swollen. Every night I had to have my feet rubbed because they hurt. I knew that Jackie was getting a bit bigger everyday. Morning sickness ended when I was 23 weeks along. I knew that in 16 weeks I would have Jackie and life would change.

My doctor's appointment went well. I told my doctor that the morning sickness ended. Mike then said during the appointment  
"2 weeks ago Connie was worried that the morning sickness wouldn't stop."  
"Well I was absolutely scared that it wouldn't end. Thankfully it ended a week ago."  
"That's totally normal" my doctor laughed "I'm not going to lie, morning sickness sucks"

Jackie was doing well. We heard her heartbeat and it was nice to know she was doing good. The ultrasound appointment was after the doctor's appointment. We looked at Jackie who basically changed from the jelly bean sized baby to gaining weight and looking like an actual baby but she had to gain a bit more weight.

Our ultrasound appointment ended. We went home and then I bought something online that night and then Mike sat next to me and said  
"So what did you buy?"  
"You know that heartbeat monitor that they have at the doctor's office? Well I just bought it so I can listen to Jackie's heartbeat when I come home. Just because."  
"They really sell those things. Well it would be nice to hear her heartbeat everyday."

We both laughed about the heartbeat monitor that I bought. Mike knew I needed a foot massage since my feet were getting sore. I usually wore comfy stuff when I was at home or going to the doctor's appointment. I usually wore nice baggy clothes during trials or at work. It felt like my body was changing everyday.

I finally got the heartbeat monitor a few days later. When I got home from work I opened the box and I checked Jackie's heartbeat. I let Bella hear the heartbeat and I told Bella "That's your little sister" Bella looked happy at me knowing that she was going to take care of her mom and her little sister. When Mike came home I let him listen to the heartbeat. He told me that sounded like the heartbeat at the doctor's office. We both laughed about it. Since my feet would hurt at the end of the day I would ask Mike to make dinner. He would always make dinner even if he didn't want to make dinner.

I began to gain a little bit more weight. I would almost always ask Mike to make food. My feet would hurt like crazy since I was pregnant. It felt real and real more when I looked at the ultrasound pictures. I knew I was in for a great life, Me, Mike and Jacqueline. We were in for a great amazing life.


	6. 26 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We were going to a lot of birthing classes. We were yet prepared. We had to learn one thing-parenting we learned from classes to having a doll with us which was like a doll you have from high school health class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Connie is 26 weeks along. This is where Mike and Connie go to birthing classes and parenting classes and yet they planned to be prepared.

"Well your measuring up good, baby's heartbeat is good" said the doctor before my 26 week check up  
"Thanks again, we'll meet up at 28 weeks" Mike said

We finally went to the ultrasound appointment. We looked at Jackie again and we were saying that she looks like both of us. We were debating who she looked like during the ultrasound appointment. We finally got done with the ultrasound appointment and finally went home after a long day. The birthing class was tomorrow we were practicing for what to do when my water breaks.

During the class we were getting taught how to breath in labor, push and what to concentrate on during labor. It felt real and real. I felt like we were ready when Jackie came and I knew we were ready for Jackie to come into this world.

The class ended that day. We went back home to have dinner and give Bella her dinner. We came across a package at the front door.

"Is this the doll you're renting so we can be prepared?" said Mike  
"Yeah this is the doll I'm renting to be prepared" I repeated in laughter  
"I'm ready for the challenge, I know you're ready for the challenge." said Mike

We then had dinner and practiced with the doll. I began holding it and then the doll cried, I gave the doll the bottle and it still was crying then I changed the doll's diaper and I then fell exhausted. I figured out this is what we're doing for the entire night instead of going out for dinner and complaining about work.

Every night was a different story with the doll, We got tired and exhausted with the crying but we knew this was going to happen when Jackie was born. I felt tired and exhausted during work. If I had a trial that was at 1pm I caught up on sleep until 1pm. I usually let Mike's mom watch Bella while both of us were at work. Things started to get real and more real. I felt like we were ready for this challenge.

The day came where we had to return the doll. Mike and I were ready to have Jackie and yet we seemed prepared. I felt scared but we were ready for the challenge. This is what we were going to do when we had kids. This was really what was going to happen. We were going to have a great happy life. We were going to have a great life with Jackie and then a few years later having another child.

I don't know how ready we were. We practiced, practiced and practiced. We were ready for a great life and yet whatever happened we were ready for the next chapter of our married life. We were ready to start our family.


	7. 28 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My belly was getting bigger by the day. I was in my last trimester which means I was getting cranky and my belly was getting bigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Connie is 28 weeks pregnant and where she talks to Mike about his dad being in his life and Jackie's life.

The doctor's appointment was fine. I got a bit bigger and it finally felt real. My stomach had stretch marks. I was really cranky and I was craving a lot of foods 24/7. Jackie was like 4 pounds when Mike and I saw her in the ultrasound. After the ultrasound appointment and doctor's appointment we went home and had dinner and then we had the conversation of Mike's dad.

"So I want to talk abut your dad?"  
"What about him?"  
"I know you're kind of talking to him and I want you guys to talk and I want to talk to him too."  
"I resented him for a long time because of the divorce and him abandoning me but I forgave him, I just don't know when I should meet him."  
"Call him, he'll meet up for lunch"

Mike agreed with me. He called his dad and asked him to meet him for lunch with myself. I was scared but ready to meet his dad but I knew it was time for Mike to move on with his dad. We were to have lunch with him tomorrow. It was getting to Mike that we needed to see his dad.

It was the next morning. We ate breakfast and we were nervous to meet his dad for lunch. Mike never had pictures of his dad and I never knew what my husband's dad looked like. I never seen my father in law in New York or anywhere on the streets. I always pictured what my husband's dad looked like. Did he have my husband's eyes? lips? nose? what did my husband's dad look like? That's what confused me about my husband's dad.

We met Mike's dad at a restaurant we walked Bella around and sat outside while we met my father in law for lunch. My husband and his father looked so much alike. He came over to Mike and gave him a hug. My father in law shook my hand and hugged me and met Bella who sat next to Bella while Mike and I sat next to each other. He said  
"So how many weeks are you?"  
"I'm 28 weeks along, it's a girl"  
"Oh congrats, did you pick out a name?"  
"Yes Jacqueline Marie, we're going to call her Jackie"  
"When's the baby shower"  
"January 13, we'll text you if you want to come"  
"Of course I would like to come"  
""Connie, can I talk to you in private?" whispered Mike  
We walked near the bathrooms  
"I'm just trying to be nice to your dad, I want you and him to have a relationship"  
"I get that but I don't want this to go to fast"  
"Look will have lunch and dinner with him so he could build a relationship with us, he needs to know his granddaughter"  
Mike agreed and then we went back to our table to have lunch with his dad. We had a nice conversation about stuff. We were finally getting along with Mike's dad. I felt happy that Mike and his dad were getting along. We finished lunch with Mike's dad and then Mike Bella and I walked home. After we got into the apartment Mike told me he was glad that he was glad that I pushed him into having lunch with his dad. I'm glad Jackie will have her grandpa in her life who is managing to get back in his son's life.


	8. 31 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie was getting a little bit bigger. She was about 16 inches long. She looked so big. I was excited for the next 9 weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Connie is 31 weeks pregnant. This also brings up shopping for furniture and the doctor and ultrasound appointment.

I was 31 weeks along. My feet were incredibly sore after work. My maternity leave started when I'm about to end my month long trial. So my maternity leave will start when I'm 37 weeks along. I was feeling tired and hungry a lot, I knew it was all about Jackie with being pregnant. She was basically the boss of me and Mike being pregnant. Our appointment was on Tuesday and we were just ready for the sore feet, the cravings to be over.

My doctor's appointment was after work. Mike picked me up and then we went to the doctor's office. I gained weight and had to get measured. The doctor saw nothing wrong with the pregnancy. I liked being pregnant but I didn't like the sore feet and the cravings.

The ultrasound appointment was the next day. Jackie was growing inside of me. She was really big in a way. She felt like she was 5 pounds or something like that. Jackie didn't look like a jelly bean or a spaghetti squash she actually looked a bit normal.

Mike and I got home from a long day. We were talking about the baby shower that was going to be 4 weeks away. We had to order food and everything. The next day we had to by the crib, dresser, changing table. We brought the stuff home after a long day of shopping we also got a lot of clothes and diapers. We finally got home and it was Mike's job to build the crib, changing table. He called my brother to help him build the crib and the changing table while I was laying on the couch with Bella. I ordered pizza for dinner because I was really hungry. I felt really tired after I had dinner and I decided to go to bed and it was only 8pm.

It took almost 15 minutes to make me wake up for work. The weight was packed on. I had breakfast which was usually fruit. At maybe lunch I was tired for a long day when I would be at work for maybe 6 hours. Another 6 hours later I would be so tired that I went home and ordered takeout and made Mike get it for me. I was so exhausted, tired and hungry while being pregnant.

Mike came home with dinner and I told him  
"I'm so exhausted, tired and hungry"  
"You're such a trooper" Mike kissed my forehead and then said "It will only be a few more weeks until Jackie is born, don't worry, it'll soon be over."  
We ate dinner and then watched TV and I went to bed. I got so exhausted and tired for the day that I just wanted to sleep. That was what I wanted to do sleep.


	9. 35 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The baby shower was today. I was getting really heavy and I was sometimes in pain. I was ready for the pain to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the baby shower chapter. Later in the chapter Connie has to make a decision about her maternity leave with a surprising event.

The baby shower happened. We got a lot of things that we needed for Jackie. A lot of clothes, A lot of diapers and wipes and a lot of everything. I ate so much that after the shower I went home and I went to bed. Everyone was there, my family, Mike's family, Jack, Cyrus, Kevin. Surprisingly Mike's dad showed up which made both of us really happy. Bella was at the shower with us and she got to play with Jack because she like's Jack a lot.

It was Monday. My trial was still in trial and yet I felt tired and tired. Mike was in the courtroom while I questioned the defendant. Then I felt a really really sharp pain. Then the judge asked

"Mrs. Rubirosa-Cutter are you okay?"  
I was in between breaths and then I said  
"Yeah I'm fine" I was instructed to sit down and the pain got real  
I screamed and tried to breathe I then called for Mike and then I had to get an ambulance called to the courthouse Mike was freaking out in the ambulance and said "It's 5 weeks to early, hopefully the doctor can do something" I got scared and more scared I didn't want to have Jackie too early. I had to be admitted to the hospital and then my doctor came into my room  
"Connie, we're wanting you to be on bed rest for the next 5 weeks or so. We suggest you going into maternity leave sooner rather than later."  
I agreed to my doctor. I had to get a shot so I didn't go into early labor. I didn't want Jackie to be born premature. I wanted her to have the best life possible and not have her tell people she was born premature.

We got a cab and went home. I was on bed rest. I called the judge and told him that I needed to go on maternity leave and my husband would take over the trial. I needed to take care of both myself and Jackie before a trial I was on. The judge agreed to let Mike prosecute the trial. Basically over the next few weeks until my due date I was on bed rest I could only go to the bathroom, get food and that was pretty much it. Being on bed rest sucks but I had to put Jackie before myself. That's what was more important.


	10. 40 weeks pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My due date came and went. Then I was a day late so I had to induce my labor. I was scared about giving birth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is 5 weeks after Connie going on maternity leave. Her due date came and went and now she's inducing labor.

I was finally done with bed rest after 5 long weeks which made me feel all alone when Mike was at work. Bella would keep me company while I watched TV, looked over past trials, made breakfast and lunch. That was basically my day during my maternity leave.

February 13th my due date came and went. I went to the doctor's the next day and they suggested that I induce my own labor because my water wouldn't break. So after the doctor's appointment me and Mike looked up ways on how to induce labor. Most of them were weird and yet disgusting. First I ate pineapple nothing happened. Then I ate spicy foods nothing happened. Then I exercised, I just looked awkward doing that which didn't even work then I had to drink castor oil, that was pretty disgusting. I went to sleep at 8:00pm and Mike joined me to go to bed. At 10:00pm I had really, really sharp pain. I woke up Mike and said  
"Mike wake up"  
"Why?"  
"The castor oil worked, my water broke"  
He woke up and got his shoes on he helped me get my socks and shoes on he then drove me to the hospital, with the carseat installed. I was admitted right away to labor and delivery and my doctor met us and then we had to rest until it was at least morning. At 2:00 in the morning I felt in so much pain my contractions were about 5-7 minutes apart I felt in so much pain. I just got told what I needed to do. I made sure to text Mike's mom to take care of Bella because my water broke. It felt like I was in so much pain. It hurt so much. I started to cry and scream.  
Mike was holding my hand and saying  
"You got this, it's going to be okay, You're going to be okay." He kissed my forehead after he said that and kept holding on to my hand. I grabbed it so hard that I almost broke his hand, but I didn't. I just kept crying and I asked for ice chips because I was so hungry. I was only 4 centimeters along. It hurt so badly. I called my sister to ask her to come to the hospital. She came to the hospital as fast as she could. The pain was unbearable. It was like having a stomach ache. I was 5 hours into labor and it felt like it started just an hour ago. I couldn't eat food or anything. I had to eat ice chips and it was like water.  
I had to wait on how many centimeters it would be to push. 5 hours in labor I was 6 centimeters. Then 7 hours into labor I was 7 centimeters. Then 8 hours into labor I was 8 in a half centimeters. I asked to get an epidural so the pain didn't hurt so much. I was able to get the epidural. I felt in so much pain crying. Hearing Mike's voice over and over saying it was going to be okay, made me feel like everything was going to be okay. I was in so much pain. 5 hours later I was still at 8 in a half centimeters. The pain was enduring. I threw up at least once. I just felt like the pain wasn't going to end. I had to wait a lot longer. I couldn't stop crying Mike was telling me "You're a trooper, the pain will end, you got this" he would say and then kiss my forehead after he would say that and I would just cry a lot. I felt like I was in an enduring pain. I knew it was finally going to end sooner rather than later.


	11. The Birth Of Jackie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She looked just like Mike and I. I felt like the pain was worth it. She was so beautiful. I knew that the past 40 weeks was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where Jackie is born. The last chapter ends with Connie in pain. Now this chapter brings in the birth of Jackie and the special visitors who come to visit Jackie.

I was in labor for almost 14 hours. I was in so much pain. The nurse checked me to see how many centimeters I was I was almost near 9 centimeters. Mike almost passed out but he was there through the long haul. The pain got worse and worse and the tears kept coming.

2 hours later and I was at 9 centimeters. I was in labor for almost 16 hours. My doctor checked me and said everything was fine. Then a half an hour later I was 9 in a half centimeters and my doctor told me that it was time to push. I was ready but scared. Mike took my hand and held it. My sister held the right leg and the nurse held the left leg. I heard the doctor saying "push 1,2,3 rest" I rested for about 5 seconds then I pushed again and I heard my doctor saying "that's good Connie, push as hard as you can" Mike looked down and said "Jackie's head is almost out, you got this babe" I then pushed after my doctor said "Push, your almost there, you have her head and shoulders out." I pushed so hard then I got told by my doctor while she put a towel on my chest "Connie, you need to push a lot harder" I pushed so hard then I heard "Push" then I heard from Mike almost in tears "Connie she's here" I opened my eyes and I saw Jackie crying and then my doctor put Jackie on top of me "Hi Jackie, you look so adorable, I love you so much" I kissed her on her forehead while I was crying and then my doctor said "Mike are you ready to cut the chord?" Mike said "Yes I'm ready" He looked really nervous and cut the chord, she was on my chest she looked so adorable and then Jackie was taken over to get her cleaned up. 

Mike sat next to me while I was laying on the bed and he said in tears "I love you so much, Thank you for giving me Jackie" we both were crying and I hugged him. "I love you Mike, I'm happy enough that you gave me Jackie" I said crying.

Mike looked at Jackie while she was getting her blanket on her and cried. Mike brought Jackie over to me after I pushed out my placenta. I held Jackie and Mike was next to us. We were finally a family. I was so tired and yet exhausted. I called Mike's mom to come over to meet her granddaughter. My sister held Jackie while I called Jack, Cyrus and Kevin. Mike called his dad. I was ready for some visitors at 4pm. We then signed her birth certificate. Mike wrote her name Jacqueline Marie Cutter. We signed the certificate knowing we were able to write a few minutes later. Jacqueline Marie Cutter, February 16 2013, 8 pounds 3 ounces 3:46pm and 20 inches long. That's what we announced to Mike's mom. I was so hungry afterwards that I ordered food. Mike's mom got to hold her granddaughter after I ate enough for breakfast lunch and dinner.

At about 4:30 I heard a familiar voice saying "Mike, Connie" and then Jack came into the room. I saw this bouquet with a balloon that said "it's a girl." Jack came up to me in my bed and said "Congratulations, Connie and Mike. Jackie looks so much like you guys." Jack said "Thanks Jack" Mike said then Jack said "So you were in labor for about 17 hours?" I then said "I woke up at 10:00 pm I went to sleep at like 8pm and then Mike went to sleep because I drank castor oil which tastes absolutely disgusting and I spit it out I drank castor oil just so I can induce labor and then I made Mike pack up clothes and then he drove fast with our clothes and then we checked into the hospital and then 17 hours later Jackie was born " I said while Jackie was sleeping in the bassinet, I picked her up from the bed and held her close to me, Jack said "How painful was the contractions?" I said "It was so painful that I was crying, screaming, I almost broke Mike's hand, good thing I didn't." Jack, Mike and I laughed. I held Jackie close to me and looked at Jack and said "Do you want to hold her Jack?" Jack looked at me and said "Absolutely" I handed Jackie over to Jack he looked at her and was in awe of her he said "Connie she definitely has your mouth and nose, Mike she has your facial structure in a way." Then Cyrus walked in and then afterwards Kevin walked in Cyrus came over to me and hugged me and said "Hey Connie" then he walked over to shake Mike's hand and then said "Hey Mike, congratulations, Jackie looks amazing" then Kevin hugged me and Mike we got the same questions of how labor felt, I said it was really painful over and over again.

After Jack, Cyrus, Kevin left and got to visit and meet Jackie. We had a lot of family visit. Then a surprise visitor came. Mike's dad. we were so surprised to see him. He said "Hi Mike, Hi Connie. Wow Jackie looks so beautiful" I looked at him and said "Do you want to hold her?" Mike's father said "Of course, I would like to hold her." Mike's dad was holding Jackie and said "This reminds me of holding Mike when he was born" Mike then looked at his dad and said "Dad I want you to be in not only my life but Jackie's life. If you want to come see me, don't hesitate to ask" Mike's dad agreed to visit anytime. After Mike's dad left we had to learn how to do everything that involved Jackie. We were going to be in the hospital for at least 2 days. I got taught how to do breastfeeding and how to use the breast pump and then we had to learn how to change a diaper, which we learned with the doll.

The past 2 days was trying to latch on for breastfeeding. Then it was how do we take care of her for the next few months. When Jackie was 2 days old we were discharged from the hospital on our way home. Mike's mom was at our apartment because Mike's mom had to take care of Bella. We got home and Bella was excited to see us. We sat on the couch and Bella was sitting next to my leg while I was holding Jackie. My mother in law was sitting in another chair and she got to hold Jackie while I was getting the bath ready. Mike's mom taught me how to give Jackie a bath, Jackie was screaming in pain. We got Jackie changed. We then went to bed, we knew about at midnight Jackie was going to wake us up just so we would feed her or change her. When we put Jackie in her crib, Bella layed in front of Jackie's crib for the entire night. We then went to sleep. Mike and I knew Jackie was our alarm clock.


	12. The First Night Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We were exhausted taking care of Jackie throughout the night and yet the next day we had more visitors but we were tired. We were so tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Mike and Connie's first night home with Jackie. It gets really exhausting during the first night home. This chapter goes off of the last chapter of the birth of Jackie. Oh and some SVU characters and Jack make some cameos in this chapter. Enjoy :-)

It was the first night of Jackie being at home. We were preparing for this day when we actually found out that we were pregnant. We were so prepared as what we thought but we knew Jackie was the boss of us. We knew the alarm clock was Jackie.

It was 11:33 when we heard Jackie crying. I looked at Mike and said "I'll go get her and bring her back in here" I went into Jackie's nursery and I woke up Bella. I told Bella to go back to sleep. I changed her diaper and then I knew it was feeding. I put her in her crib and I knew that the next time she would be crying it would be time for feeding. I was falling asleep just tired and exhausted. I wish we actually had help like we did at the hospital. An hour later I heard the crying again, Mike woke me up and I used the breast pump and then I sat on my bed an gave her food. I was yawning for the entire night. I let Mike walk her back to her room. The whole night would be about Jackie, crying, feeding, changing diapers. It felt exhausting. We had some visitors in the afternoon. I asked Mike to get me coffee and breakfast. I didn't know how exhausting it would get.

In the afternoon, we got another visitor at our apartment. Olivia Benson came in through the door and gave both of us a huge hug. Olivia then asked me "So are you tired?" I looked at her and said "She kept Mike and I up all night. I just want a decent 8 hours of sleep" Olivia then asked me "So how painful was the labor?" I then told her "It was so painful, I almost broke Mike's hand, I was crying so hard and screaming so hard that I think all of New York could hear me" Olivia, Mike and I laughed. Olivia then asked me "Can I hold her?" I then said "Absolutely" I handed Jackie over to Olivia was holding her and said "Well she looks like both of you guys, it's a combination. She's so adorable" I thanked her. Alex Cabot came over after Olivia left due to a work call. Alex sat on the couch and said "Jackie looks so much like you guys. I'm guessing Jackie is a female version of Jack?" Mike laughed and said "Yeah, we kind of named her after Jack in a feminine way." Alex asked me "Can I hold her?" I looked at her and said "Absolutely" I handed Jackie over to Alex and Alex said "She's adorable, She's going to be a lawyer someday. or a detective" I laughed and said "Thanks Alex, I'm debating whether or not she's going to be a lawyer or a detective." Alex left and then half and hour later we got another 3 visitors.

The visitors who came were Nick Amaro, Amanda Rollins and Fin Tutuola. Nick Amaro came in and said "I heard from Olivia that Jackie was born" and then I said "Well you heard right" then who joined him next were Amanda and Fin. I got asked by Fin "So how painful was the labor?" I then said "So painful I almost broke Mike's hand. I was crying and screaming and I thought the whole state of New York was going to hear me." Nick finally said "I remember when that was when my ex-wife had Zara, she was going to break my hand and arm due to the pain." Amanda said "I'm so not excited to deal with labor when I have kids" It was nice to have some people over. Nick offered to hold Jackie and we agreed to it, he said "Jackie looks amazing, this reminds me of holding Zara when she was born, that was so long ago" Mike said "We get that a lot of the she looks amazing, or she looks like both of you guys, I swear we get that a lot." Fin held Jackie next and said "She could totally be the next New York City Detective or the next ADA" Mike and I laughed with Fin and we both said "That's what Alex said. We're kind of hopping for either or if she's a detective or an ADA" Amanda held Jackie next and said "I totally see the resemblance, she looks a lot like Connie and Mike. Hearing about how painful labor is I'm not excited for labor and delivery when I start having kids." Mike Amanda and I laughed at what Amanda said. It was nice having people over after Jackie was born.

A few hours later, Jack arrived to our house with Chinese for dinner. He knew that the first night and visitors was difficult and offered to hang out and have dinner with us.  
"So how was the day?"  
"Nights are getting exhausting, We had some visitors. Most of the SVU detectives came to visit. Alex Cabot came to visit. I had to give them the story of how painful labor was. Thanks for bringing dinner Jack" I said  
"No problem. I know the first night and visitors coming and going is exhausting. That's how it was when me and my ex-wife had our daughter. I'll come over and bring dinner whenever you want." said Jack  
"Look Bella knew Jack is here" Mike said  
"She knew I was here, I'm her favorite person here" Jack said  
We laughed and laughed. We had dinner until Jack left for the night. We knew this is what life was going to be like since we had Jackie. This is what we were excited about.


	13. It's just Jackie & I home alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow Mike was going back to work. I had two months of maternity leave. I knew I was going to be lonely and home alone with Jackie and Bella.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Mike goes back to work. Connie is stuck at home taking care of Jackie and is feeling really lonely home alone.

It was a Tuesday night. It was the last day that Mike could spend home alone with Jackie and I. I told him I didn't want him to go back to work.  
"Please don't go back to work"  
"I don't want to, I'd rather stay at home with you and Jackie. I need to go back to work"  
"Okay, but come back home afterwards"  
"I will come back, don't worry" Mike grabbed my chin and kissed me  
"I'm going to put Jackie in her crib. I'm going to bed" I said after we kissed

I put a really moody Jackie in her crib. I breast pumped about 6 bottles so we could be prepared for the night. I brushed my teeth and put on my pajamas. I layed on the bed exhausted and tired. Mike came into bed and said "We have the plan, I'll wake up I know where the bottles are, I'll just warm one of them up." I looked at him and said "Jackie's 4 days old, I'm really upset everyday, I cry everyday. The doctor said postpartum depression happens but I'm always sad about certain stuff" I started to cry and then Mike said "Connie, it's all going to be okay. I know you've been sad, it's going to be fine" I looked at him and said "I keep telling myself it's going to be okay, I just don't want to be home alone I want someone to be here with me" I rested my head on Mike's shoulder while he stroked my hair and said "Call your sister if you want to, if you absolutely need me call me I'll be here as fast as I can" We them went to bed and Mike knew the drill for the night, he was on Jackie's schedule until 7:00AM.

I woke up at 7:00AM and Mike was getting ready for work. I was sitting on the couch feeding Jackie.  
"We'll be here waiting for you to come home, have a nice day at work"  
"I'll be home before you know it, make sure Bella gets a walk"  
"Don't worry, I'll make sure that she'll get a walk"  
We kissed and then he said  
"I love you, I'll be at work if you guys want to stop by"  
"I love you too counselor"  
He then looked at Jackie and kissed her head and said  
"I love you princess, I'll see you soon"  
Mike walked to the door and said to Bella  
"Bella take really good care of your mom and your little sister"  
Bella wagged her tail knowing she had to take care of me and Jackie. We knew we had a busy day ahead. I was entirely tired and not ready. I decided to make breakfast and got the day started.  
I told Jackie "Well it's us girls today. We'll have a great day today. We'll have lunch with daddy and we'll go for a walk later."  
I made myself some eggs and toast. I gave Bella her food and water. I walked down to the nearest Starbucks and got myself a coffee. It was just Me, Bella and Jackie. I watched TV, called my boss to see when I can go back to work, took care of Jackie all day. At 11:00AM I called Mike and told him that we would come over to have lunch with him and I would bring Jackie and Bella and lunch of course. 

It was about 11:30AM when I went to Mike's work. Jackie was in the stroller sound asleep. I had Bella on a leash with that was tied to the stroller. I brought Chinese for lunch. I went to Mike's office and said  
"I brought lunch and the family"  
He helped me with bringing lunch over to his desk and then he said  
"Thanks for coming over and bringing lunch, I needed to see you and Jackie during lunch time"  
He kissed me and then I said  
"Also Bella"  
"Of course Bella, So you got Chinese? Did you get my favorite?"  
"Of Course I did. Bella had lunch"  
I sat down and pulled Jackie close to me. I handed Jackie over to Mike and we ate lunch. We were talking about the day and he mentioned that my maternity leave would be over in 7 weeks. I was telling him I didn't want to leave Jackie but I would like to be at work again. Alex came into Mike's office and Alex said  
"Look at this. It's the cute little family"  
"Hi Alex, it hasn't been to long that I've seen you. I brought lunch over for Mike and I. I brought Jackie and Bella so they get extra time with their dad during lunchtime"  
"So what else are you going to do today?" Alex asked  
"I'm going to take Jackie over to visit her aunt and uncle and then I'm going to go home and relax"  
"Connie, Bella can stay with me while you take Jackie over to your sister in law and brother's house" Mike said  
"Okay, but Bella absolutely needs to come home and not stay in the office"  
"She will come home with me don't worry" said Mike  
"I need to meet my brother and my sister in law at their house soon" I said  
"Okay have fun. I'll see you after work both of you guys." He said as he put Jackie in her stroller  
"Bella, be a good girl in the office and don't cause trouble, okay?"  
Bella wagged her tail obeying me and Mike.  
Mike pulled me in and said  
"I love you"  
He kissed me and then I said  
"I love you too, can we talk when you get home?"  
"Absolutely"  
He then walk to Jackie's stroller and bent down and said  
"I'll see you tonight princess"  
He kissed her on the head. I then left to go see my brother and sister in law.  
Later that night, I was on the couch watching some TV. Jackie was sound asleep on my chest. I was still awake when Mike and Bella came home. He brought over Pizza for dinner.  
"Hey counselor" he said and then kissed my forehead, he then looked at Jackie and said  
"Hey my little princess" he said and then kissed Jackie's forehead  
"Did you and Bella enjoy work together?"  
"We did enjoy work together, I brought pizza home for dinner" he said while he put the pizza box on the coffee table  
"So, I was thinking about going to counseling for the postpartum depression"  
"That's a good idea. I think you should see a counselor for the postpartum depression"  
"I called Dr.Olivet so I can talk to her about the postpartum depression"  
We ate dinner and then watched a little bit of TV. We knew about in a few weeks baseball would start and Mike would want to watch every game until then. We then went to bed having our plan, when Jackie woke up I would wake up with her. I was finally happy that I was getting help for postpartum depression.


	14. Just Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The postpartum depression was getting the best of me sometimes. All I did everyday was take care of Jackie. I felt really incredibly sad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where Connie finally gets help for postpartum depression. She talks about postpartum depression to Jack.

It was a Wednesday. Jackie was a week old. She was going to be two weeks old on Saturday. I had Jack over because I needed some company since I had postpartum depression. Jack would bring lunch over to Mike and I's apartment whenever he would come over.  
"Thanks for bringing lunch over Jack" I said  
"No Problem, Connie. I know you've been struggling a bit with postpartum depression" Jack said  
"I'm struggling with it and I called Dr.Olivet yesterday and scheduled an appointment with her to talk about the postpartum depression" I said  
"It's nice that you're talking to Liz. She's a really great counselor" said Jack  
Jackie started to cry in her nursery so I excused myself and said  
"Looks like Jackie needs me"  
I walked to Jackie's nursery and picked up a really fussy Jackie and walked to the couch with Jackie. I had a bottle in one of my hands and sat down on the couch with Jack. I fed Jackie and Jack and I resumed our conversation.  
"I know Liz and I know she can help me with the postpartum depression. I'm sometimes afraid to leave Jackie with Mike's mom while I'm done with maternity leave"  
"Connie, it always happens. I didn't want to leave Rebecca after she was born" said Jack  
"Mike also doesn't want to leave her when he goes to work"  
"My ex-wife didn't want to leave Rebecca when she was done with maternity leave" said Jack  
Bella would always be near Jack when Jack came to our house and she would always be near me and Jackie. A few minutes later Mike walked into the door and Bella would walk to the door to greet Mike and Mike would always pet Bella when Bella would greet Mike by the door  
"Hi Bella girl" Mike said  
He would go towards me and Jackie and he would say  
"Hi counselor" he then would kiss me and then he would pick up Jackie from my arms and he would say "Hi my little princess" and he would lay down on the couch with her  
"So did you guys enjoy lunch together?"  
"We did, Connie was telling me that she's meeting with Dr.Olivet tomorrow" Jack said  
"I'm happy that she's getting help with postpartum depression" Mike said  
"I'm glad she's getting help too" said Jack  
"I need to do this for everyone and myself" I said  
"You're doing a great job Babe" Mike said and then he kissed me on the forehead  
I made dinner for the three of us and we laughed and talked until Jack left for home. Then I breast pumped enough bottles for the night. Mike and I went to bed after we brushed our teeth. We planned the schedule. I was to wake up with Jackie for the first 5 hours while Mike was to wake up with her for the last 3 hours.  
The next morning I made a cup of coffee and toast. I gave Bella her food and water. I was ready to talk to Dr.Olivet today. I called Mike's mom to take care of Bella while I went to my counseling appointment.  
At 11:30AM I drove myself and Jackie over to Dr.Olivet's office. I was happy that I was getting help for my postpartum depression.  
Dr.Olivet came out of her office to meet me.  
"Connie" she said and gave a hug to me  
We walked to her office and then me and her sat down while I strolled Jackie to Dr.Olivet's office.  
"And who is this cutie pie?" Dr.Olivet asked me  
"Her name is Jackie. Mike and I just had her not to long ago. She is about a week old" I said  
"She's too cute. So I heard you want to talk to me about your postpartum depression" Dr.Olivet said  
"Yeah I want to talk about it. I just had Jackie a week ago and I've been really sad. I cry a lot when I'm alone with Jackie. Before Mike went back to work when Jackie was 4 days old I didn't want him to go back to work. Since then I've had to have certain people at the house" I said  
"Connie, postpartum depression happens. I know you've been getting sad at certain things. I know you're scared about leaving Jackie. I know that you don't want people to leave you alone with Jackie. I'm glad you're getting help. As far as I know it's okay to get sad, I know you're trying your best to hold it in but sometimes you can't hold it in" Dr.Olivet said  
"I hold my sadness in because of Jackie. I don't want her to see me sad" I said while picking Jackie up from her stroller and holding her close to me "Now she's Mike and I's whole world. We don't do anything we used to do when we didn't have Jackie. Mike never really goes out to drink he's wrapped around Jackie's finger. He always comes home"  
"Maybe you should possibly do this. Go out with Mike without Jackie and leave Jackie with Mike's mom. Don't worry to much about Jackie and after maternity leave...I promise it's all going to be fine" Dr.Olivet said  
"Thanks Liz. I'll talk to you if I need anything" I said  
"Anytime Connie, it was nice to meet Jackie, she definitely looks like you and Mike" Dr.Olivet said  
I left Dr.Olivet's office and went home. Mike's mom dropped off Bella. Mike came home a couple of hours later. He made dinner and asked me  
"So how was the counseling appointment?"  
"It was good. Dr.Olivet suggests that me and you get out of the house without Jackie a couple of times. I'm super nervous about it."  
"We should go out. My mom will be happy enough to watch Jackie and Bella. We could go to a baseball game when the mets season starts, rent a hotel room out of the city"  
"Of course we could do that"  
"We both love Jackie but we need to spend time with each other, alone"  
"I agree with you"  
We had dinner and then we watched TV for a while then we went to bed I put Jackie in her crib to sleep. I breast pumped about 8 bottles for the night. Mike and I knew our schedule for Jackie. Mike got the first 5 hours with Jackie and I got the last 3 hours with Jackie. The schedule changed every night but one thing was for sure, we loved Jackie and it didn't matter how many hours a night we would wake up with her at night.


	15. The First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We haven't had a date in a long time since we had Jackie. We were excited to spend time together. Just the two of us not the three of us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Connie and Mike's date that they haven't had in a long time. They go to a bed and breakfast about 2 hours away from New York. Enjoy :-)

"I don't want to leave her" I said while holding Jackie in my arms  
"I don't want to leave her either, but we need to have some time alone" Mike said while he had Bella's leash in his hand  
"We have everything packed for Jackie for the next few days while she's at grandma's. We have everything packed for us in the car and food is packed for Bella" I said  
We packed the car for a 3 day 2 night trip. We were nervous about leaving Jackie and Bella for such a long time but we were ready for some alone time. We drove to Mike's moms house and got Jackie and Bella's things out of the car.  
"Hey mom" said Mike  
"Hello my son and daughter in law" said Mike's mom  
"Thanks for taking care of Jackie and Bella this weekend, we need to have some time alone without Jackie and Bella" I said  
"No problem Connie, you guys need to have some time just the two of you" Mike's mom said  
"I have everything packed for Jackie. I breast pumped about 50 bottles for the weekend so they're in the cooler. Jackie's clothes and everything else are in here. I brought her to go crib. I also brought Bella's food and her food bowl and water bowl. If anything happens, call us" I said  
"I will but don't worry to much" Mike's mom said  
We put every bag that belonged to Jackie in Mike's moms house. I then handed Jackie over to Mike's mom and I said to her "Bye my little ladybug. I'll see you very soon" I kissed her forehead and then Mike walked towards her and said "I'll see you very soon my little princess, I love you" Mike said and then kissed her forehead. We walked out of Mike's moms house while Mike's mom picked up Jackie's hand to wave at us, we waved back at her and closed the door. We then walked to the car and left for the bed and breakfast.  
"I'm so nervous to leave her" I said  
"Connie, we need to have some time alone. We love Jackie but we need to spend time apart from her" Mike said  
"I know. but I got so nervous about leaving her" I said  
"We're going to have fun this weekend. Jackie is going to spend sometime with grandma and we get to see her on Sunday. Don't worry" Mike then said  
We drove about 2 hours to the bed and breakfast. We checked into our room and walked to the bed and relaxed. We were so tired and yet we wanted to do something without Jackie. I don't remember when the last time was when we had just the two of us time. That was so long ago with planning the wedding, having Jackie we were just so busy.  
"So what do you want to do while we're up here?" said Mike  
"Get dinner, go see a movie" I said  
"We could do all those things during the weekend" said Mike  
"I really want to go see silver linings playbook" I said  
"Let's go see that tomorrow, where do you want to go to dinner?" said Mike  
"I don't really care. Let's go to a bar around here" I said  
"That's a good idea, we haven't been to a bar for the longest time" said Mike  
"It feels like a lifetime since I was at a bar" I said  
We both laughed and laughed. We went to the bar and had dinner. We were finally having fun but we sure did miss Jackie. The entire night was just fun. We were finally spending time together.  
We came back after dinner. We went to bed and finally fell asleep. We kinda missed Jackie crying in the middle of the night. We woke up around 9:00AM and had breakfast. I called Mike's mom to see how Jackie was doing. Jackie was doing good. We talked to her and told her that we missed her. She was 4 weeks old now and she could recognize who we were.  
We finally went to go see silver linings playbook. We got popcorn and sat down in the theater. The movie was really good. We laughed, we cried. We had a fun time watching silver linings playbook.  
We then went out for dinner after the movie. I was excited to go back to work in 3 weeks. I wanted to go back to work but I would miss Jackie a lot. We would both miss Jackie a lot when we both went to work. We went back to the bed and breakfast and went to bed.  
The next day woke up at about 9:00AM and had breakfast. About lunchtime we left the bed and breakfast and got lunch, we then went to Mike's moms house. We were so excited to see Jackie and Bella. We walked into Mike's moms house and then I said  
"There's my little ladybug"  
I picked her up and kissed her cheek. Bella came towards me and she rubbed herself against my leg I then handed Jackie over to Mike and he said  
"Hi my little princess, I missed you so much" he kissed her on the cheek and then we got all of Jackie and Bella's stuff in the car. Mike's mom then said  
"So in 3 weeks, you're going back to work right?"  
"I am. Do you want to watch Jackie and Bella at the apartment?"  
"Sure Connie. I would love to watch both of them"  
We then left Mike's moms house and went back home. We spent the whole afternoon unpacking. At around 5:00PM, Jack came over to our house for dinner. Since he's been retired he's always been a frequent visitor at our house. We cooked dinner and we had a fun time with Jack he asked us while we were eating dinner  
"So how was the bed and breakfast?"  
"It was great" said Mike "We went to go see silver linings playbook, we went to a bar. We did a lot of things without Jackie but we missed her" Mike continued his answer  
"We had a great weekend. We're so glad to be back home" I said  
Mike, Jack and I laughed and laughed. Jack then left and then Mike and I went to bed. We put Jackie in her crib and she seemed so happy to be back home. We were all happy to be back home.


	16. Back to Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time for me to go back to work. Mike and I were nervous to leave Jackie with Mike's mom all day but we knew it was time for me to go back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Connie goes back to work. She's really sad about leaving Jackie with Mike's mom and she tries to adjust to working again.

It seems like I lost a lot of weight ever since I had Jackie. Tomorrow was my first day back at work. Jackie was 7 weeks old. Mike and I were nervous about leaving her when we would go back to work. We had the fridge packed. I breast pumped about 60 bottles for the next few days. I was so tired today. Mike and I had our night planned he got the first 5 hours and then I got the last 3 hours when Jackie woke up.

Mike's mom came to our apartment after we woke up and got dressed. We both had fruit for breakfast, we gave Bella her breakfast. Mike's mom then asked me  
"So are you excited to go back to work?"  
"Um yeah. I'm excited but I'm going to miss Jackie like crazy"  
"Connie, it will get hard going back to work. You can call me anytime while you're at work"  
"Looks like I need to go. I will call" I picked up Jackie and said "I'll see you tonight my little ladybug. I love you" I kissed her cheek and then handed her to Mike he then said "I'll see you tonight my little princess. I love you" he kissed her cheek and gave Jackie to his mom, we then pet Bella's head and then we left we walked down to the garage and Mike walked me to my car he then said "Have a great day at work today. I love you" we then kissed and then I said "I love you too. Text me when you're at work" I then got into my car while Mike walked to his car I then drove off to work. I walked into the office. All of my coworkers were so excited to see me. I walked to my desk and my desk looked like I haven't seen it in a long time. I put a picture of Jackie on my desk next to the picture of Mike and I on our wedding day. My coworker came to my desk and said  
"Hey Connie, how's Jackie?"  
"She's doing really good. I miss her though"  
"She looks really adorable"  
"Thank you"  
We ended our conversation when I had to do a lot of work. I then had to do work. All I can think about was Jackie. I called Mike and asked him if he wanted to get lunch at my work. He came over to my office so we could have lunch together. We were at my desk and he said  
"That's my favorite picture of Jackie"  
"Well every picture we take of Jackie is adorable or it's our favorite"  
"I miss her so much during the day, I keep calling your mom and ask her how Jackie is doing basically every hour when I'm at work"  
"Don't worry, I did that to after you talked to my mom. I had to ask my mom how Jackie was doing throughout the day"  
"So, I was wondering do you want to invite your dad over for dinner?"  
"Yeah sure, I would like to see him again. We've texted and he said he would like to see us again and he knows we've been busy"  
We ate lunch until Mike had to go back to work. I got off early and I went home afterwards. I walked into my apartment and Bella sniffed around me. I then kneeled down to her and said  
"Hi Bella girl"  
I then sat down and then my mother in law said  
"How was work today?"  
"It was good, I got off early"  
I then picked up Jackie and said  
"How is my little ladybug? I missed you so much" I kissed her on the cheek and then I said to my mother in law  
"So Mike's dad is coming over to the apartment for dinner. I don't want anything to be awkward for both of you guys"  
"Don't worry Connie. We're both civil towards each other, I'm glad he is having a relationship with his son and granddaughter"  
"Do you want to have dinner with us?"  
"Sure, I would like to have dinner with all of you"  
Mike then came home after me and then Bella greeted Mike at the door. He then said  
"Hi Bella"  
He came towards the couch and picked up Jackie and said  
"Hi my little princess" he kissed her on the cheek then he said  
"Hi counselor" he then kissed me and then sat down on the couch  
"So Mike, I invited your mom to dinner tomorrow with your dad. She's going to be civil towards your dad"  
"That's great. I'm fine with my mom and dad here for dinner. I want them to be civil towards Jackie"  
Mike then cooked dinner after our conversation. His mom had dinner with us and then she left to her home. We then watched TV and then went to bed. We put Jackie in her crib and we discussed our schedule I was to get Jackie for the first 5 hours and Mike was to get Jackie for the last 3 hours. We were excited to see Mike's dad the next day.


	17. Guess who's coming to dinner?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike's mom and dad were coming over for dinner. We knew they would be civil towards each other. We knew nothing bad would happen, or would it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Mike's mom and dad have dinner with Mike and Connie. This is where they announce a big surprise (they're not pregnant)

I was finally done with work. Mike's dad was going to have dinner at our apartment, Mike's mom was also going to be at dinner. We think this isn't going to be awkward.  
I drove home and parked in the garage. I walked up to Mike and I's apartment. I opened the door and Bella greeted me at the door. I kneeled down to her and pet her and said  
"Bella girl"  
I then picked up Jackie and I said   
"My little ladybug, I missed you so much"  
I sat down on the couch with Jackie in my arms and then my mother in law said  
"How was work today?"  
"It was good, I'm so exhausted"  
"Do you want me to make dinner?"  
"No it's fine" as I said while Jackie was sound asleep on my chest "Can you actually make Fettuccine Alfredo? I can't seem to get Jackie off my chest"  
"Sure, just relax while I make dinner"  
My mother in law made dinner while Jackie was sound asleep on my chest. Mike walked into the apartment door and Bella walked to him and she rubbed his leg Mike said "Bella girl" and pet Bella he then came towards me and said "Hi counselor" we then kissed he picked Jackie off me and said "My little princess" and sat down on the couch, I whispered to Mike and I whispered "So when are we going to tell them?" "During dinner" he whispered. I went to go help my mother in law out with dinner. A half an hour later Mike's dad came into our apartment. I came up to him and said "It's nice to see you, we missed you so much" we hugged then Mike's dad sat next to Mike and Mike's dad said "How's work?" Mike said "Work is good, really exhausting" Mike's dad then said "Thanks for inviting me over for dinner" Mike said "No problem dad, we want to see you more"   
Dinner was ready a few minutes. We sat down and then we had a normal conversation. Mike's mom and dad were not arguing or fighting and they had a normal conversation.   
Mike then said "So Connie and I need to tell you guys something" My mother and father in law then said "What is it?" I then said "We bought a house, we're moving next weekend" my mother in law said "Congrats, is it close to my house right?" Mike said "yes it's close to your house, the house is 5 bedrooms 3 bathrooms. It's a big house, big backyard. it's in our price limit" I then said "We're really excited, we want Jackie to have a sibling in the near future." My mother and father in law were excited for us. After they left for home, Mike and I sat on the couch watching the mets game, Jackie was sleeping on my chest. We then called Jack and told him the good news, he was excited for us.   
We got off of work early the next day and started packing the things we didn't need. Then in the next few days near the moving day we were packing, packing, and packing. We knew the day would finally come, the day we would move into our new house, the house we would raise a family in and have family barbecues in our big backyard. We were so excited about living in a house, not an apartment.


	18. Moving Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was finally moving day. We were moving to a bigger house, our dreams were coming true. Barbecue's, White Pickett fence, and a big backyard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Mike, Connie, Jackie and Bella move out of their apartment into their new house. There is also some cameos from SVU detectives and Jack McCoy who help with moving out. Enjoy :-)

We were finally moving out of our apartment. We were packing up things after things. This was the day we were finally moving out.   
Jackie was with Mike's mom while we were moving out. We packed almost everything into the moving truck. We made sure that the beds, bed frames went first into the moving truck. Jack was nice enough to play with Bella in the nearby park while we were moving. Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola were over to help us and my brother, sister and sister in law came over to help out.   
"How many boxes of clothes do you have in here?" says Olivia  
"About 5 or 10 boxes" I said  
"Wow you guys have a lot of clothes" Olivia said   
We were both laughing and laughing. 3 hours later we were unpacking at our new house. Fin and Jack were helping with everything. My mother in law was still watching Jackie while we were unpacking like maniacs. 2 hours later we were finally done and my mother in law brought Jackie over.  
"Jackie's room is next to our room" I told my mother in law  
"Wow you got everything unpacked and ready to go" my mother in law said while putting Jackie in her crib  
"Well what can I say? It takes a village but we were able to get everything moved into our new house" I said  
Jack ordered pizza, while all of us relaxed and watched TV. we were so exhausted and tired. We finally had pizza and then everyone left after we had dinner. Mike and I went to bed afterwards and relaxed. We had the same schedule every week wake up with Jackie and see what she needed. My mother in law was excited about the new house and how she would get to watch her grandchildren grow up in this big house. We were excited to. No more small tiny apartment. We were living in a big house.  
The next day we were finally going back to work. We were so exhausted but tired. We talked about our new house to everyone at work. We liked that our house was big and not tiny like the apartment. After work we went to buy a barbecue and a patio to put in our backyard. Something told us that we were excited for this next chapters in our lives. Big house, barbecue's in the summertime, family dinners and thanksgiving at our house. What could we get more excited about? Nothing apparently.


	19. Jackie's First Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie was turning 1 today. It seemed like time flew by because it seemed like yesterday that Jackie was born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 11 months after moving in to the new house. Jackie is turning 1 and this chapter brings up Jackie, plans for the future, and Jackie celebrating her first birthday. This is also the last chapter of Parenthood, I'm also starting a new fan fiction about Connie and Mike expanding their family which jumps a year in a half after Jackie's 1st birthday! Enjoy :-)

"Do you know what today is?" Mike said waking me up  
"Today is Jackie's first birthday, I can't believe she is 1 already, it seems like yesterday that I gave birth to her" I said  
"Wow that day was crazy, I almost broke your hand" I said laughing   
"Do you ever think about expanding our family?" Mike said  
"Yes when Jackie is like 2 1/2, but not right now" I said  
We woke up after talking about how crazy it was that Jackie was going to be 1. We woke her up and made breakfast. We also woke up Bella who ate breakfast. Today we were throwing Jackie her birthday party. We got everything ready, pizza, cake, basically everything for a birthday party.  
2 hours later Jackie's birthday party started. My family came, Mike's family came and then other people came. Jack came after my brother and sister in law came in. Jackie was so happy.

"So what kind of cake did you get?" Jack asked  
"Chocolate cake" Mike said  
"I can't believe Jackie is 1 already, it seems like yesterday she was born" Jack said  
"Now she's saying words, she's almost walking" Mike said  
"I almost broke Mike's hand while I was in labor, that was so painful" I said  
"So Connie, since you guys moved out of the apartment are you guys thinking about expanding the family?" Jack said  
"We've been talking about it but we don't want to give Jackie a younger sibling like right now, I want to wait until she's old enough just because I don't want her to feel jealous of having a younger sibling" I said  
"We still want to have her as an only child for maybe 2 in a half years and then have another child or two. We want Jackie to not be an only child for her whole life" Mike said

We ended the conversation, we then ate pizza and then we sang happy birthday to Jackie. We then had cake. Jackie ate her cake in like 5 bites. We took pictures being those kind of parents. After that Jackie and I opened presents. Everyone was laughing and laughing. We were having fun and talking about the future. 

A few minutes later. Mike was walking Jackie, Jackie was holding on to his fingers and then Mike let go of Jackie's hands, Jackie walked about 3 steps and then Jackie fell and then Mike said "It's okay Jackie, want to try again?" Jackie nodded her head and then Jackie held Mike's hands and then she let go and walked to me and then I almost cried and said "Jackie, you just walked" and then she walked back to Mike then she walked back to me then she walked to Mike's mom. I was so happy, Jackie learned to walk today. Mike and I couldn't believe that Jackie learned to walk today.   
Jack looked at me and said "Jackie learned to walk on her first birthday, what's next?" I looked at Jack and said "I don't know"

The birthday party finally ended. Jackie was finally a year old and she was walking. We were so happy about the future and the major milestone Jackie just did walking. We were so happy and proud of Jackie for walking today. I knew that we were in for the good life. Extending our family was all we could talk about. We were ready for the future.


End file.
